Willow Creek

The Willow Creek is a antimony mine located in Alaska.

About the MRDS Data:

All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.

Mine Info

Satelite View

MRDS mine locations are often very general, and in some cases are incorrect. Some mine remains have been covered or removed by modern industrial activity or by development of things like housing. The satellite view offers a quick glimpse as to whether the MRDS location corresponds to visible mine remains.

Site Name

Primary: Willow Creek

Commodity

Primary: Antimony
Secondary: Gold
Secondary: Tin
Secondary: Tungsten

Location

State: Alaska
District: Fairbanks

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Prospect
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant:

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Simple Sb (veins, pods, etc)

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Cassiterite
Ore: Gold
Ore: Scheelite
Ore: Stibnite

Comments

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = The vein was exposed by a hydraulic cut during placer mining operations.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Joesting, 1942 (ATDM PE 49-7)

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = This antimony prospect was uncovered during placer mining operations and was described by Henry Joesting in a report to the Alaska Territorial Department of Mines in 1942. The antimony ore occurs as stibnite in a zone of white quartz and gouge that strikes east-west, across the valley of Willow Creek (Joesting, 1942; ATDM PE 49-7). In the hydraulic cut, where the overburden and gravel have been removed, high-grade ore could be traced continuously from the west side of the cut to the creek, a distance of about 75 feet. Ore is also found on the east side of the cut, about 100 feet from the creek. Between these two showings of ore, the zone consists mainly of quartz and gouge, with minor amounts of stibnite and pyrite, and occasionally arsenopyrite. Some pieces of high-grade stibnite found on the surface measured about a foot across. Most of the ore is fine-grained and massive with a minor portion made up of coarse bladed crystals. The higher grade portions contained 56 percent antimony. Small amounts of pyrite and arsenopyrite occur in the lower grade material. The bedrock is mainly a soft, badly weathered mica schist, containing considerable clay. The schist strikes east-west and dips steeply north. Several thin limestone beds were noted. A few of these beds, about 100 feet upstream from the stibnite, contain sphalerite and pyrite. Numerous small veins and lenses of quartz were also noted in the bedrock. Most veins are glassy, but some contain small amounts of pyrite, arsenopyrite, and sphalerite.

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Stibnite-quartz vein (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 27d).

References

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1941, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1939: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 926-A, p. 1-106.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1975, Mineral resources of Alaska, in Yount, M.E., ed., U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Program, 1975: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 722, p. 37.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, S.S., 1917, The mining industry in the territory of Alaska during the calendar year 1915: U.S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 142, 66 p.

Reference (Deposit): Prindle, L.M., 1906, Yukon placer fields: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 284, p. 109-127.

Reference (Deposit): Joesting, H.R., 1942, Preliminary report on an antimony prospect on Willow Creek, Fairbanks district: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Prospect Evaluation 49-7, 2 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1942, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1940: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 933-A, p. 1-102.

Reference (Deposit): Joesting, H.R., 1942, Antimony and tungsten deposits in the Fairbanks and adjacent districts: Alaska Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 194-11, 25 p.

Reference (Deposit): Chapin, Theodore, 1914, Lode mining near Fairbanks, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 592-J, p. 321-355.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Livengood quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-413, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1917, The mining industry in the territory of Alaska during the calendar year 1915: U.S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 142, 66 p.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1916, Antimony deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 649, 67 p.

Reference (Deposit): Prindle, L.M., and Katz, F.J., 1913, Detailed description of the Fairbanks district, in Prindle, L. M., A geologic reconnaissance of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 525, p. 59-152.

Reference (Deposit): Eakin, H.M., 1915, Placer mining in Seward Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 622-I, p. 366-373.

Reference (Deposit): Ellsworth, C.E., and Parker, G.L., 1911, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 480, 325 p.

Reference (Deposit): Ellsworth, C.E., and Davenport, R.W., 1913, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 542, 303 p.

Reference (Deposit): Ellsworth, C.E., 1910, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 442, 432 p.

Reference (Deposit): Prindle, L.M., 1908, The Fairbanks and Rampart quadrangles, Yukon-Tanana region, Alaska, with a section on the Rampart placers, by F.L. Hess, and a paper on the water supply of the Fairbanks region, by C.C. Covert: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 337, 102 p.

Reference (Deposit): Joesting, H.R., 1942, Strategic mineral occurences in interior Alaska: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Pamphlet 1, 46 p.

Reference (Deposit): Prindle, L.M., 1905, The gold placers of the Fortymile, Birch Creek, and Fairbanks regions, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 251, 89 p.

Reference (Deposit): Prindle, L.M., 1904, Gold placers of the Fairbanks district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 225, p. 64-73.

Reference (Deposit): Killeen, P.L., and Mertie, J.B., 1951, Antimony ore in the Fairbanks District, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 51-46, 43 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1938: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-A, p. 1-113.

Reference (Deposit): Joesting, H.R., 1942, Antimony and tungsten deposits in Fairbanks and adjacent areas: Alaska Department of Mines MR 194-11, 25 p.

Reference (Deposit): Joesting, H.R., 1942, Preliminary report on an antimony prospect on Willow Creek, Fairbanks District: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Prospect Evaluation 49-7, 2 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.

The Top Ten Gold Producing States

These ten states contributed the most to the gold production that built the West from 1848 through the 1930s. The Top Ten Gold Producing States.